As part of the district’s induction program, I coordinate a monthly seminar for new science teachers. The seminar features veteran teachers who share their experiences with a given topic or strategy, followed by a discussion. The topic of assessment is coming up. Do you have any insights or resources to share?
—Todd, Wichita, Kansas
“Are you teaching today or are the students doing a lab or just taking a test?” I used to dread this question from a former principal when he wanted to observe a class. He was implying the only classroom activities worth observing were lectures or large group activities. But I fooled him! One time I asked him to observe during a performance assessment. To his credit, he came to appreciate that  evaluating student learning is an important part of a teacher’s performance.
How do we know what the students are learning? We can wait until the yearly state exams (assuming they cover science), give our own final or end-of-course exam, or use unit tests or final projects. These summative assessments are fine, but they don’t tell us which students are having problems or developing misconceptions during the course or unit. Formative assessments can provide “just-in-time” information on what students know or can do. These include traditional quizzes and assignments, but can also include informal “thumbs up” questions, journal entries, or bell-ringer activities. I would recommend the book Science Formative Assessment: 75 Practical Strategies for Linking Assessment, Instruction, and Learning from NSTA Press.

Many students see assessment as something that happens so teachers can assign a grade at the end of a marking period. Perhaps we haven’t done a very good job of identifying the purposes of assessment? In his research on effective instruction, Robert Marzano found setting goals and providing feedback were among several effective strategies in improving student learning. The type of feedback we provide on assessment tasks is also important. If all students see are red checkmarks, circles around misspelled words, and a “grade” at the top of the page, it’s no wonder they crumple the paper or stuff it into a notebook without paying much attention. It’s important to provide feedback that is more informative than a smiley face or simply saying “good job” or “try harder.”  Instead, focus specifically on what the student did well or how the student could improve. Examples include “You supported your conclusion with evidence from the lab,” “Using a diagram to compare and contrast plant and animal cells was a great idea,” or  “Data in a table easier are to understand if the numbers line up. Please revise this table.” If you would like more information on what informative feedback looks like, see Feedback That Fits from the December 2007/January 2008 edition of Educational Leadership This issue has several other assessment  articles available online that could be discussion starters.
Rubrics are another way to provide useful feedback to students. Many of the articles in NSTA’s Science & Children, Science Scope, and The Science Teacher include rubrics for the activities described within. Visit SciLinks and search for “assessment” to find a list of useful websites. Many of these relate to reading and writing in science, but there are also some great rubrics resources. The Rubrics and Rubric Maker website has many suggestions for rubrics that can be adapted for science and other subjects and for a variety of assessment types.
PALS (Performance Assessment Links in Science) is another site science teachers should check out. There are dozens of performance assessment tasks, organized by standard, grade level, and topic. Each one references one or more of the National Science Education Standards. Each assessment includes a detailed description, a student handout with places to record data and observations, a scoring rubric, and the results of any formal validation. The best part is there are examples of actual student work at each of the rubric levels. Wouldn’t it be interesting for a department or grade level to choose several of these to use throughout the year to assess (and discuss) student performance? And they’re ready for us to use!
Photograph: http://www.flickr.com/photos/46632302@N06/4279477491/

Yesterday afternoon was one of those beautiful fall days here in the Northeast—clear blue skies, low humidity, a cool breeze, and leaves starting to change color. So what was I doing? I was logged in to a webinar that was a joint presentation by NSTA and ISTE: Planning for Technology Integration in the Science Classroom with the School 2.0 E-toolkit and Other Resources. (But I was on the porch with my laptop.)
Chris O’Neal gave a guided tour of the U.S. Department of Education’s School 2.0 eToolkit, which has a wealth of free resources to help teachers, principals, and tech coordinators with technology integration in the classroom. I’ve explored a small portion, and it looks like a useful tool to start conversations about the kind of lifelong education that is part of the 21st century. Then Flavio Mendez from NSTA showed participants how to navigate and explore NSTA’s Learning Center with tools and resources that are designed to help educators identify content knowledge gaps and document their professional growth. This Center is just getting bigger and better.  Mike Odell from Texas shared his experiences using the Learning Center with a group of teachers as part of a professional development project. It gave me some ideas for PD projects with which I’m currently involved.

This fall is also a great time to experience astronomical phenomena. The beginning of autumn coincides with a full moon, producing the legendary Harvest Moon. And we have our Closest Encounter with Jupiter Until 2022. I was outside the other evening with my binoculars and saw four of Jupiter’s moons! I brought out my spotting scope (repurposed from birdwatching) for a closer look, and we soon had an impromptu “Jupiter Party” with some neighbors.
NSTA’s Science Scope journal takes a monthly look at topics in astronomy in the “Scope on the Skies” feature. This might also be a good time to review the concept of equinoxes and the “reasons for the seasons” (and clear up some misconceptions). For more information on these topics and others related to astronomy, check out a special set of websites in SciLinks. One of my favorites here is NASA Quest, which has many learning activities in astronomy and the atmospheric sciences for grades K-12. One of my morning rituals is listening to StarDate program on my local public radio station. At the website, you can listen to the daily program, download podcasts of the programs, read current astronomy news, and get lesson plans, classroom activities, and lots of visuals. Of course, if you have particular topics in mind related to astronomy, you can log into SciLinks and search for particular keywords.
I’d also suggest two other sources. One of my favorite sites is Windows to the Universe. This site (many sections of which are in the SciLinks database) takes a comprehensive look at the universe and Earth’s place in it. There are many graphics, lesson plan ideas, and the site is available in Spanish, too. Another good source is Teachers’ Domain. Use the index to get multimedia resources and lesson plan ideas on the topic of “Earth in the Universe.”
Speaking of technology, ASCD’s blog is taking a trip down memory lane with a reprint of the 1980 article Potential and Limits of Computers in Schools. Considering the advancements in technology over the past 30 years  (many teachers were not even born when this article was published), it makes fascinating reading.
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/drumsnwhistles/262106452/sizes/z/in/photostream/

… and you’re wondering how to make the most of your time in Kansas City … or Baltimore … or Nashville. Not to worry: You’ve got mentors on the NSTA General Science listserv. They recently offered some tips for newbies.
“It’s usually advisable to stay at one of the hotels NSTA has available,” observes Bill. “For one you get a discounted rate, and another they have a shuttle [at national conferences] for all the hotels listed in case they’re far from the convention center.” Those who bring their own cars will have to pay for parking, he points out. “I suggest you book the hotel through the NSTA website. That way you’re sure to get the reduced rate and the block of rooms,” he adds.
“One benefit of staying at a nearby hotel is that it’s easy to stop by your room and unload all the stuff you end up carrying around … freebies, stuff you purchase, conference programs, etc.,” says Heather. “If your room is not nearby, I’d suggest bringing a bag or something that rolls instead of having to be carried all day.” Some also suggest packing a fold-up duffel bag that can be used as an extra suitcase on the way home.

“I try to pick up posters that other teachers at my school can use also. The trinkets you pick up at some of the booths are great for classroom use,” reports Pamela. Nora advises “hit[ting] the vendors on Friday afternoon” because they “don’t want to take stuff home, so they give great stuff away.”
And this from Wendell: “I always spend at least a couple of hours at the NSTA [Science] Store just looking at all the trade books and professional development materials they have. It gives me a ‘hands-on’ opportunity to check out what interests me. I’ll always buy 2 [or] 3 books for my professional library.”
For gathering and taking home her conference goodies, Kathleen advocates the “buy a box and ship it” option, available at national conferences. “It’s not super cheap, but in my mind, well worth every cent! You get a box, put your name on it, and place it in a designated area. You can drop in and out as you wish to put stuff in the box,” then have it shipped home or to your school. “It’s made me more selective about what I take/keep—and it beats lugging it around.”
“Spend time looking at the things you know you can never afford,” counsels Nora. “I went home with no intentions of getting interactive boards but was asked to sit on a grantwriting team. We wrote a … grant that got the math and science teachers in our system interactive boards, Elmos, and clickers. I used some of the ‘buzzwords’ the vendors used in our grant.”
Kathleen suggests you “definitely talk to folks and allow plenty of time on the exhibit floor. The conversations there can be as valuable as the sessions.” If you think you might run out of time, follow Nora’s advice: “I also signed up my husband as a non-teaching spouse. He loved the computer and technology stuff and found amazing vendors I missed.”
As you proceed from exhibit booths to sessions to hotels, Wendell suggests you “carry some drinking water (or whatever vital fluids you’re into) and snacks in your backpack” and “wear comfortable shoes—you’ll do a lot of walking.”
“Attend sessions that pertain directly to what you are doing, but be sure to go to some just because you think they sound interesting,” advises Kathleen. “You never know what cool ideas you will come up with.”
“Don’t be afraid to walk out of a session if you can tell from the start that it’s not for you,” urges Bill. “Presenters never like it, but you are there for you, not them.” He advises you to “have second and third choices for each time slot” and “get there early for big-time presenters (the ones who have their pictures in the program!) or you won’t have a seat.”
Nora adds, “some of the sessions that look lame are great. I look for crowds going into classes.”
Bring your camera to help you remember your sessions, counsels Pamela. “Sometimes a snapshot that I’ve taken about how someone set something up or how something looked during a presentation gives me food for thought when I get home and have time to process everything.”
Bill thinks “the best thing you might take from the conference is the people you meet. Don’t be afraid to strike up conversations with the people around you at a session.”
If you want to continue the conversation later on, Kathleen reminds you to bring your business cards: “It’s easy to make your own these days. When someone gives you their card, make a note on the back of it so that you can put a context to the name.”
At the end of each day, agree these experienced attendees, be sure to have fun. “[The] Middle Level Science Teachers usually have a free ice cream social,” says Nora. “There are often cool things to do at night.  Enjoy them.”

I am really looking forward to this year’s Science & Children journal. Many of us teach with themes or essential questions that focus our instruction, and this year all of the issues of S&C will focus on aspects of using inquiry in the classroom. I would also encourage secondary teachers to browse through the articles for ideas that could relate to or be adapted to other grade levels, especially if your students are novices to inquiry processes. This month’s theme is “What Do Scientists Do?” and includes the editorial A Powerful Way to Learn and a comparison of traditional school science with the Experiences-Patterns-Explanations triangle (and what this looks like in a primary classroom).
Inquiry at Play shows that our younger students (PreK–Grade2) are at a perfect age to introduce processes such as asking questions, making observations, discussing patterns and categories, and solving problems. The author suggests inviting a scientist into the classroom to meet the students and share his or her work. (If a real visit is hard to schedule, perhaps a teleconference via Skype could be arranged.) Or the teacher or another guest could portray a scientist, using the suggestions in this article. SciLinks has biographies of scientists and a collection of websites on Careers in Science if you need additional information.
Thinking Like a Sssssscientist shows that elementary students can use authentic processes when studying topics such as snakes. I love the graphic that compares the traditional “scientific method” and an inquiry model used—note how the word “wonder” appears in each process!  SciLinks has more on snakes.

This summer, I noticed purple boxes hanging from trees as I drove through the Northeast. They were part of a study of the range of the emerald ash borer, an insect invasive species. The teacher and students in the article Citizen Scientists also investigate the presence of invasive species SC091002 in a long-term study. The author has suggestions for other citizen-science projects that would engage students of any age.
Reading as Scientists describes a classroom project in which 6th graders learned and practiced how to read scientific material. The article includes a rubric for the followup writing assignment and examples of student work. Finding appropriate materials is a challenge—I like the downloadable articles on the Natural Inquirer and ActionBioScience websites.
If you’re thinking of ways to use video technology in your classroom, the authors of Lights, Camera, Action…It’s Science Friday have some suggestions. They describe how student “experts” share their experiences and expertise with others through short video segments that are broadcast within the school. I’m thinking that older students might enjoy this too, sharing with their peers or with younger students. The author includes suggestions for getting started with a similar program.
Dig Deeply and What’s Bugging You? show how traditional plant-growing activities can be “kicked up a notch” to guide students through open-ended investigations. If you and your students are thinking of other projects involving insects, check out the articles How Insects See, Through Their Eyes, and the websites on Insects in SciLinks.
Supporting Ideas with Evidence discusses how to guide students through learning about cause-and-effect studies with independent and dependent variables. And this issue has the debut of a column devoted to formative assessment “probes.” This month features the probe Doing Science to uncover students’ conceptions and misconceptions about scientific thinking.
And check out the Connections for this issue. Even if the article does not quite fit with your lesson agenda, this resource has ideas for handouts, background information sheets, data sheets, rubrics, etc.